Red Oak Park is narrow and wooded with an opening at its SE corner. The woods catch water from houses and streets upstream. The watershed used to be wetland prairie. Its concrete streets and storm drains dump into the park and cause flash floods during rain, eroding soil and creating a ditch-like stream and leaving tree roots bare. The Park Division of Fayetteville, Arkansas, is trying to find a way to protect the mature hardwood trees in the park and make the space safer and more accessible.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

NWAOnline.com

Red Oak Repair To Move Forward

PARK WILL RECEIVE RESTORATION

FAYETTEVILLE — A washed out drainage ditch at Red Oak Park that has kept Fayetteville officials in hot water with neighbors will get a combination of pipes, “plunge pools” and natural restoration to repair eroding banks.
The repair comes after a series of talks with occasionally frustrated residents in the neighborhood who have said they wanted the flooding and erosion fixed. However, many urged an approach that didn’t entirely rely on piping and allowed the channel to handle the large flow coming through the narrow park since the development of subdivisions such as Bridgeport.
Carole Jones, a park planner with the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Division, told the City Council on Tuesday staff had developed a $218,000 plan to deal with the park’s water woes.
“There were a lot of interested people, with different goals,” said Jones. “We’ve tried this concept so that it meets all of those goals as best we can,”
Roughly $56,000 of the cost will be covered by the Parks Department and the remaining balance will be paid for through the city’s drainage fund.
In earlier discussions about resolving the problems, costs of nearly $500,000 were cited.
The park over the years has largely been split in two by the drainage ditch that grew as nearby development caused more runoff.
Under the proposed plan, the water’s path in the park will see the addition of ponding areas designed to slow the water down, allowing it to drop its load of sediment before moving on in a more controlled manner.
“The plunge pools are intended to take the energy out of the water, and take the silt out, and let it go on to Hamestring Creek,” said Chris Brown, chief engineer for the city’s engineering division.
On the downstream side — the area beyond New Bridge Road — 42-inch pipes will be installed to aid with drainage during mild storms, Brown said.
The project design is expected to be complete by the end of the month, Jones said. However, it then gets turned over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for review. The City Council gave verbal permission at the agenda session to proceed with the project, she added.
“We cannot determine how long the review process will take,” Jones said, but added construction will begin soon after the corps’ review and approval.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Citizens were shown two proposed options for restoring the stream bank
through Red Oak Park located at 4600 West New Bridge Road at a Public
Meeting held November 19, 2009. The item was also discussed at the
November 30, 2009, Ward 4 meeting.
The City of Fayetteville collected 23 comments from the public on the
two options presented at these meetings. Ten citizens preferred Option 1
which included channel restoration through the majority of the park;
three citizens preferred Option 2 with minimal improvements other than
check dams and a control structure at New Bridge Road; and ten citizens
preferred “other” options.
City Engineering and Parks staff have evaluated an alternative that
would provide and preserve park area on the north side of New Bridge
Road by utilizing piping in this area of the channel (approx. 300 feet
in length). This would preserve the existing basketball court and
provide an area where a new pavilion with ADA accessibility could be
constructed.
The control structure and check dams that were previously proposed in
Option 2 would still be proposed on the south side of New Bridge Road.
The goals achieved by this alternative would provide park area on the
north side of the park and provide slowing, infiltration and recharge of
storm water in the park area south of New Bridge Road.
A drawing of the proposed combined option is attached. A presentation
will be given to the City Council at the January 12, 2010, council
agenda session. The meeting will be held at City Hall located at 113
West Mountain Street in Room 326 at 4:30 PM. City staff are working to
place this information on www.accessfayetteville.org as soon as
possible. For more information call Fayetteville Parks and Recreation
at 444-3471.
Ms. Carole Jones, P.E.
Park Planner
Fayetteville Parks & Recreation
113 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone (479) 444-3472
Fax (479) 521-7714
www.accessfayetteville.org